Nathan Alvarez

Samsung is adding new obtrusive ads to your old smart TV.
If you’re Samsung and you want to wring additional cash out of your television business, what do you do? Add annoying advertisements to TVs that people already have in their homes, apparently. The Wall Street Journal reports that Samsung is readying the European expansion of an initiative it started in the United States last June: adding interactive advertisements to the menu bars of its high-end smart TVs. The impact isn’t going to be limited just to customers buying new Samsung televisions, either, as the company reportedly plans to use software updates to retroactively bring the ads to older models that people already have in their homes.

Fraud Alert: Scammers Get Victims to Pay With iTunes Gift Cards.
Everyone likes gift cards — even scammers.
A gift card is like cash — a quick, convenient and untraceable way for con artists to get money. And even if the victim realizes they’ve been scammed, there’s typically no way to reverse the transaction. Right now, the popular iTunes gift card is the payment method of choice for many swindlers.

Tinder for insurance lets you insure your electronics by swiping right
An American startup is hoping to overhaul the stuffy insurance industry with a couple of swipes.
On Monday, Trov launched its latest product in Australia: On-demand insurance for single items through its mobile app. Founded in 2012, the company’s free iOS and Android app previously allowed people to create a digital inventory of their possessions, but it’s now adding an extra level of service. The insurance offering is currently iOS-only.

PayPal drives another nail into the Windows Phone and BlackBerry coffins.
In February, PayPal launched a new version of its mobile app, 6.0, and it wants iPhone and Android users to upgrade to it until the end of June. Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Amazon Fire users, however, are getting a different message: Paypal is discontinuing the app on these platforms on June 30.